Orientation 2025 Day Four

On the final day of the Civic Bridgers Fellowship retreat, we applied the lessons learned throughout the week and discussed how to leverage our new skills and knowledge in each of our upcoming roles. We looked ahead to our upcoming years of service and examined mental and physical habits that would help us be the best Bridgers we can. One of the lessons that stuck with me was our group activity of trying to build a tower “five blocks at a time.” My group, which went first, was required to build our tower five toy blocks at a time, resulting in a jumbled and confused mess. The next group was allowed to build a tower one block at a time, allowing them to build a taller, more stable structure. I found it a great physical and mental demonstration of the importance of taking things one step (or one block) at a time. This illustrated the lesson of how approaching a problem methodically and strategically can yield far better results than trying to tackle it all at once.

Another notion we discussed was the Law of Harvest: you reap what you sow, and how this approach could benefit us both as Bridgers and in our future professional lives. To reap what you sow means to get out what you put in, and this was the most crucial piece of advice we received during our retreat. Just as with sowing seeds, you may not see the results of your efforts immediately, but they will eventually manifest. The more care one puts into their planting, the more successful their harvest will be, and their labor will result in more seeds than they originally had. This lesson stood out to me as it is beneficial not only in a workplace environment, but in every aspect of one’s life. Whether it’s reading, practicing an instrument, physical fitness, or anything in between, progress requires hard work and sacrifice. 

We each wrote about one thing we would begin to sow moving forward in our personal and professional lives. My response was to put my effort into listening, learning, and following, so that I may one day lead empathetically and effectively. Since the final day of our retreat, I have sought to sow seeds of determination and intentionality, learning from my peers, coworkers, and superiors, so that one day I can lead as a Bridger and serve as an example for those who follow me.